Avenge My Beloved
by MikeWearsAbercrombiePajamas
Summary: Valerie's life was almost perfect, until her mom died. Then, after a bad nightmare, she wakes to find that she is no longer human, but something more. She flees to Forks in search of answers but what happens when she encounters some strange people...R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Avenge My Beloved**

**Chapter 1: Nightmares**

_I inched along the dark, tiled corridor hearing nothing but my heavy breath and the faint ticking of a clock nearby. The Universal Paper Goods Factory of Toronto was usually vacant at 2 in the morning save the night janitor or a few scattered employees, so I had no idea what I was doing here. All I knew was that I was running from someone terrible, someone vile. My blood felt red hot in my veins yet deep chills broke loose from the depths of my bones. _

_The only thing I knew about this place was that my dad worked here. I've only been here once, 3 years ago, on Take Your Child to Work Day. I'd rather been in school, that's how bad this place really is. There's a constant stink in the air that I could smell even now, the same as I remembered 3 years ago. The security for this factory was really low-class as well; the definition of safe in this shack is a combination lock and key. There were no cameras, no security guards. Plus this place was so _old; _it could have been the first paper factory in Canada. _

_I looked over my shoulder, trying to see if he was still following me. I couldn't hear his heavy footfalls anymore, so I decided to take this chance to hide. There was an open janitor's closet to my left, so I felt my way in. It was so dark that I couldn't see an inch in front of me. From what I could feel, it was very small with numerous buckets and cans scattered along shelves and laying on the floor. I pushed myself into a tight ball the corner and shut the door open to just a crack. I refused to make any sound let along breath as I strained to hear the expected foot falls. _

_About five minutes later, I could hear the echo of footsteps slowly marching down the short hall. My stomach turned as the brawny man stopped short right in front of my closet. My nerves frayed as he creaked the door open and flipped on the lights. It only took him seconds to find me curled in the corner. He smiled his twisted smile. _

"_There you are honey! Why did ya run away from me all of a sudden?" The terrifying man asked sarcastically as he stalked towards me with his hands outstretched and grabbed my arm to yank me up to his level._

"_Let me go! Get away from me!" I shrieked as I thrashed against his iron grip. My arm was beginning to turn purple as his massive hands squeezed tighter around my thin arm. It was useless, there was no way out. _

"_This is the end, you horrible girl! You killed my only son, so you will get what you deserve!" He pulled out a knife and raised it up so it glinted in the fluorescent light, then before I knew it, the world turned black._

I woke up with a fright, screaming until my breath ran out. I gasped brokenly as I reached for my glasses to see where I was. Okay, I was in my bedroom, breathe breathe. I looked at my alarm clock. 5:27 AM.

I trembled in my bed until I could control my breathing. Once that was under control, I took a look at my arms where I remembered so clearly the old man squeezed them to death. Not even a bruise. That was a good thing, I told myself, which means that it was only a dream. Only a nightmare, I corrected myself.

I was still too shaken up to stay in bed so I decided to get up and move around. Good thing it was Saturday so my dad wasn't in the house. Ever since my mom died, all my dad could think of was me, me, me. He would have had a stroke if he ever saw me like that. I wandered into my bathroom, alert, yet dazed at the same time. My horrifying nightmare chills were starting to wear off, but I couldn't help wondering why I had that particular dream. Why was I in my dad's factory and why did I kill that man's son? It all didn't make any sense. Just a dream, I told myself again.

I groaned as I stared at myself in the mirror. My long blonde hair was up in tangles all over my head. I had huge bags under my eyes and my face was pale in the extreme. My frazzled, blue eyes kinda scared me they were so wide. I grabbed my brush and started yanking through the bush on top of my head. I finished quickly, brushed my teeth and put in my contacts.

When I walked back into my room, I picked up whatever shirt I could find out of my drawer. I honestly didn't care how I looked as long as I wasn't naked. I pulled off my pajama shirt and dropped it to the floor. A flash of white in my peripheral vision made me whirl around. As I looked in the long mirror on my wall, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor. No, this wasn't possible, what even WAS that? I examined my almost bare back in the mirror. No, no, no, I'm dreaming again. I slapped myself hard in the face in an attempt to bring me back to reality. I could see stars for a couple seconds, but after they faded, I turned back to the mirror.

The wings were still there. I had wings. WINGS! I was officially crazy. I yanked at one of the feathers on the massive obstruction, and it actually _hurt. _

And that's when I fainted.

**First chapter! How was it? Review!!!**

**~~Catty~~**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Seeing is Believing

"Uhhhh…" I groaned as I rolled up to my knees, holding my throbbing head in my hands. Did I just…faint? I was NOT having a good morning. Ok, what was the last thing I remembered…oh yeah. Wings.

My head was still tender as I glanced at my back carefully, this time hoping not to freak myself out. Sure enough, they were still there, clear as day. Huge cloud-white feathers covered each massive wings that I presently stretched out to see just how long they actually were. Wow, looks like about six feet per wing. I had a twelve foot wing-span that I grew overnight. Impossible. Was I going crazy? My thoughts were so jumbled that I couldn't think straight.

I still couldn't believe any of this, but I was awed at the same time. I had to admit, they were beautiful, but I didn't even know why I even had them in the first place. Was I part bird? No, that couldn't be. They didn't even look like bird wings, they looked more like…angel wings. Was I an angel? Ha! I could never be an angel, I'm too mean for that. I lie and steal all the time!

Maybe this kind of angel doesn't have to be nice, I thought, maybe I'm an evil angel. But I'm not evil. I'm just…normal. Well, I _was_ normal, until this morning. And the feathers are pure white, not black. That must mean something.

A part of me wanted to believe my thoughts, that I actually was something more that human, but most of my brain thought that I was going crazy.

"What am I?!" I asked the walls frantically. Okay, I was officially going insane. I quickly shut my mouth and turned to my desk to grab a piece of paper and a pen. Before I knew what I was doing, I was already writing down the words that I knew were on the top of my head since I first saw these feathered obstructions on my back.

_Dad, _I wrote,

_I've gone out for a little while to search for some answers for something very important. I'm so sorry I have to leave you this way, but I think leaving without an explanation would be better for both of us. _

_I'll be back in a week or so, but if I know I'm going to be staying longer, I'll call you. _

_I love you so much,_

_Valerie_

Ok, so apparently I was going to run away. That actually didn't seem like a bad idea. I could use a little breathing room and I really needed to know what I'd become as soon as possible.

I threw on a shirt, tied up my shoes, and grabbed the letter I'd just written on the way out. I considered taking my car but decided against it. Dad installed a tracking chip in there. Bad idea. I could walk, I could take a subway or maybe I could even put these wings to good use and fly.

I was almost eighteen now, so I think that a small, miniscule part of dad would understand if I picked up and went. I was almost an adult anyway. Even as I tried reassuring myself, I couldn't believe my thoughts. Of _course _dad is going to call the cops. Of _course _he roam the earth until he found me. I cringed just thinking of whatever his reaction would be like when he found my letter. Losing mom was hard enough for him, and I'd hate to do that to him all over again. Nevertheless, I _had _to go, I _needed_ to go.

As of this morning, though, I knew that if I wanted to know what was wrong with me, I'd have to search to find the answers. And I wanted to know so badly why I had wings that I'd actually leave my father. The thought even brought tears to my eyes.

I tried not to think about it as I hurried down our small staircase into our tiny kitchen. Our kitchen was so disorganized and cluttered that I was worried that dad might not be able to find the note. I'd leave the note on the counter by the door where he normally dumps all of his stuff after he gets home from work so he'd be sure to find it. I cleared a spot by pushing junk aside, and my vision blurred with tears as I set the note down carefully on the counter.

"I love you dad", I mumbled, "Stay safe."

I turned and ran out the front door onto the quite streets in our suburb of Toronto.

**Read and Review!!!!!**

**~~Catty~~**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Flight Plans

I ignored the funny looks the few pedestrians I passed gave me. I must look like a wreck; a teenage girl running down the street crying her eyes out. I was actually surprised and a little angered at myself that I'd actually cry openly like this. I was normally a pretty strong girl, but I guess growing wings did this to you. The last time I cried like this was when I had gotten the news that my mom died in a car accident when I was only twelve. I thought my world was over for the longest time until I found Jenna. Jenna was the best friend I'd always wanted; she understood me and actually had the patience to listen to what I had to say.

A fresh wave of tears began as I started thinking for the first time of what I was going to be leaving behind. Its only for a while, I tried to tell myself, I'm coming home soon. As much as I wanted to, once again I still couldn't believe myself. I couldn't really live a normal life like this, could I? My dad would be sure to turn me into the cops. I'd be all over the news, people would be lining up at my door curious to actually touch me and believe I was real. No. I couldn't do that to dad, and I sure as hell wouldn't do that to myself.

I ran faster, more furious and determined now, as I stopped at the Metro station on the upcoming corner. Just in time, the city bus stopped and opened its doors to welcome me in. As I climbed on the bus, I pressed my folded wings tighter to my back so no one would suspect anything.

"Do you stop at the airport?" I asked the driver, and old balding man, as sweetly as I could manage without my voice breaking or shaking.

"Yeah, sure kid." His eyes were wide as he took in my tear-streaked face. "Do you want a Kleenex or something?" He asked, clearly concerned in my state-of-being. He was a nice old man, I thought, kinda like grandpa.

"No thank you, but thanks for offering." I turned and headed to find a seat as he closed the doors. There were very few people on this crappy bus, so I took a seat in the middle, all to myself, and looked out the windows.

I only barely noticed as the bus pulled up the Toronto Airport, I was so caught up in my own thoughts. When a few passengers started leaving, I snapped out of it, jumped up and hustled off the bus and onto the crowded sidewalk entrance to the airport. The bus scattered away along with a couple cabs. Thank _God _I'd brought my backpack with my wallet and my passport in it with me. I had enough money packed in there to start a new life—if at all need be.

The airport wasn't particularly busy today; there were more people on the sidewalk outside than actually in the building. I combed my fingers through my hair once and straightened my shirt in an attempt to look more business-like. I managed to stop crying on the bus ride, so my eyes were back to their normal puffiness and my voice wasn't as raspy. I walked up to a lady tapping away on a computer behind the American Airlines desk.

"Excuse me, but is it at all possible to book a flight out as soon as possible?" As I spoke, the lady looked up from her computer work.

She smiled warmly at me. "Of course, most of our flights are open today. May I ask where you wanted to go?", She asked me in the generic secretary tone of her squeaky voice.

Wow, um, I haven't really thought about this, except for the fact that I wanted to go to America. "Seattle." I answered automatically. It was the first place that came to my head. The lady returned her gaze back to her computer and started typing something again. Without looking away from her screen, she asked, "Okay, I have a flight open at twelve o' clock. I'll need your passport, driver's license and credit card." I rummaged through my backpack and found what I needed. I still had my passport in here from last time I was on a plane so I had that covered. I handed her my stuff and she handed me a ticket in exchange. "Do you have any bags with you?" she asked incredulously, looking at my small backpack.

"No, only this." I wondered idly if I should have brought some more stuff with me.

"Okay, then walk this way," she pointed to the left, "and once you finish with security your flight will be in terminal 3B. Thank you for flying with American Airlines and have a nice flight." She smiled again as she finished.

"Thank you." I murmured as I walked toward security.

Security was quick; they just checked my passport, x-rayed me and asked general questions like "Did you pack your backpack?" and "Is there an emergency number we can call?". Once I was finished, though, I walked quickly towards terminal 3B. It was already 11:53, so I hurried to get to the terminal.

Once I reached the terminal, I handed my ticket to another lady behind a smaller desk by an open door. She led me through the door and down the small tunnel to the plane's entrance. On board the plane, I sat down in a window seat in Economy Class. There weren't very many people on the plane, I noticed.

I looked out the window as a wave of unease settled over my stomach. I was about to go to Seattle, who knows how many miles away in search of a new life. I was sure of this now, that I not only wanted answers, I wanted a new life. And I was prepared to travel wherever and fight though whatever to reach it.

Suddenly, the plane started moving, and the pilot came on the radio announcing that we were beginning our flight.

I fastened my seatbelt, closed my eyes, and prepared myself for my new life.

**Keep R&R-ing!!!!! Don't worry, the Cullens will come in soon, I promise. **

**~~Catty~~ **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: First Flight

"Alright everyone, your flight will touch down in Seattle in about ten minutes, please gather you belongings and prepare to exit the plane. Once again, thank you for choosing American Airlines." The Pilots smooth radio voice awoke me from my slumber. Disoriented, I looked out the small window and, down through the clouds, I could make out hundreds of city buildings and miles of suburbs. Far off past the city, I could see the Pacific Ocean. It was so beautiful here, the first thing I wanted to do was drive to the coast to see the ocean. Maybe the soft rolls of wave that were calling to me presently from this plane would help me put my life in order. I hope.

Reluctantly, I sighed and picked up my backpack from under my chair. I was scared to check my phone just in case dad happened to have tried to call me—which he had. The first thing I could see that popped on my screen was "You have 43 new voice mail messages". I let my phone drop right back into my bag. I would deal with dad when I could think of a reasonable excuse to leave him.

Suddenly, my stomach growled. Whoa, I guess I haven't eaten since last night. I'll stop at a Subway or something when I get going. I checked once more that I had all the important stuff with me. Phone, check, passport, check, credit card, check, ticket, check. I slowly organized my bag just for something to occupy me from thinking. Thankfully, the pilot announced again that we were touching down. "Please wait until the ready light comes on before you take off your seatbelts".

After I had touched down and checked out with the airport staff, I wandered out the doors to the massive Seattle airport. It was raining, though the air was pretty warm. I spotted an open cab and ran over to it. Covering my eyes from the rain, I opened the door to the cab and hopped inside.

"Where to, lady?" A brawny, badly-shaven driver asked me as he began weaving through other cabs in an attempt to get on the highway.

I answered automatically, "Somewhere along the coast of the Ocean. Do you know any cities along there?"

The man sighed, exhausted. "The nearest place is Port Angeles, but that's not really on the coast…"

"That's perfect." I would fly from there. It couldn't be too far, plus I really needed to stretch out my wings.

"Alright…" Was all the man said the whole ride there.

"Ok, lady, here ya go. Port Angeles."

"Thanks", I muttered as I paid the man. I stepped out of the awkward cab and onto the streets of a city that looked almost identical to Seattle. There were a few small business shops, but overall the city looked very tourist-y.

Luckily, there was a forest a couple blocks away from where the cab dropped me off. I headed in that direction until I reached the outskirts of the pine trees. A wooded sign read "Olympia National Park". Good, that meant I'd have a little flying room. I trekked away from the trail for about a mile or so into a clearing, and then I stopped. Hmm. How would I fly? I looked up to the invisible sky as if looking for an answer.

I was wearing a tank top underneath my t-shirt, so I could stretch my wings out, at least. I took off my shirt and tried that. Ah, it felt so good to unfold my wings. How could I get up in the air, though? Ok, I'm gunna take a running start, and if I fall, I'll just try again. Setting my jaw determinedly, I ran through the clearing and jumped.

Automatically, my wings seemed to catch the air. I flapped quickly, but I faltered. As I was heading off course, I tried to push my wings higher so I could get above the trees and have enough room to actually move. I could go up, but I had a hard time moving left and right. I strained to get above the tree tops, but sure enough, I broke free into the open air. I refused to look around me until I actually got up high enough to set a cruising speed. Instead of going straight up, I went forward at an alarming rate, faster that I had expected. I was shocked at first that my wings could actually support me, but sure enough, I was cruising higher and higher with each stroke of my wings. When I decided I had the whole flying thing under control, I clutched my bag tighter and looked around me.

I was sure far enough above the trees now that no one would suspect anything. As I looked down, a seemingly endless pool of green flooded as far as I could see. Right in front of me, a glistening ocean sparkled as the sun peaked out of the clouds, illuminating everything with light.

Everything was so beautiful; everything was so perfect, that a bubble of laughter escaped my lips. I was free! For once in my life, I could actually decide where I was going, and what I wanted to do. I didn't have anything to worry about like final exams or appearance or fitting in anywhere. I was my own person! I laughed openly now, expressing my true joy, but suddenly I lost a grip on my air current and started falling towards the green pool.

I was falling faster, so I struggled to push my wings down to at least break my fall. I was in the trees now, and before I knew it, my knees thudded against the hard forest floor.

"Ow!" I protested in pain as I cradled my knees. They couldn't be broken because I'd softened most of my fall, but they were surely bruised. My sudden burst of pain didn't darken my happiness, though. I jumped to my feet and brushed off my jeans. I hadn't landed in a clearing, so taking off might be kind of difficult. I set my lips in concentration, readied into a crouch and—

"Who's out there?" a panicked voice asked from the woods. Oh no.

I immediately jumped behind the nearest tree and folded my wings as tight as I could against my back. Did someone see me? Was I right by a house? I couldn't be. I stopped breathing.

"C'mon, I heard you. Show yourself." I could hear from the voice that he was a guy, young by the sounds of it, and that he was very close. I considered actually showing myself to this guy so he wouldn't shoot me or anything. OK, that was probably a good idea. As long as I didn't turn my back on him, he wouldn't suspect anything, right? I sucked in a deep breath and stepped around my tree to face the guy.

He was teenager—shirtless, with only cut-off jeans—and his eyes widened when he saw me. "Whoa, what's wrong miss? Are you ok?" His tough man façade dropped immediately as he reached out towards me.

"I'm fine" I said breathlessly as he stepped towards me. "Really, I'm fine. I'll just be going on my way now—"

Before I could back up, he caught my arm. "Wait, don't go! I heard you say 'ow'. Did you trip or something? What are you doing out in the middle of the woods anyway?" He asked me incredulously with one eyebrow cocked up. "Hey, my name's Seth by the way. Why don't you come with me back to the rez so we can get you cleaned up?" He started towing me along, but I protested.

"No, no, no! I was just going, it's fine, really." On second thought, I actually needed to go to civilization to get some answers, so this was probably best. "On second thought, I'm kinda lost. I was hiking…"

He looked at me, relieved, and smiled. "Oh, so you're a hiker? You really shouldn't travel alone in these woods, there're a lot of dangerous animals…" He trailed off, but I knew where he was getting. He wouldn't want to have found me dead; some wolves' dinner.

We were so silent for a while so I didn't really pay attention to where I was going. Clumsily, I tripped over a log and fell—face first—onto the ground. My wings flung out automatically, and I heard Seth gasp. Damn it! I rolled quickly so that my back was away from him again and stared horrified at him.

He only gazed back at me with an equally horrified expression, and took a shaky step back.

**Uh oh, what's gunna happen?? Read and review!!!! Oh and hey sorry it's kinda lame so far, it'll get better, I promise. Keep reading!!!!**

**~~Catty~~**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: New Beginning

We only gaped at each other, horrified, for too long until I managed to spit something out. It appeared that Seth had stopped breathing.

"Seth? Are you okay?" I whispered carefully as I measured his reaction. Seth never looked away from me, his wide brown eyes flickering from my face to my wings every other second. He swallowed hard, and a new flash of curiosity suddenly took over some of the utter shock clouding his face.

"What are…what…do you have _wings_?" Seth sputtered at last, almost uncomprehendingly, still staring wide-eyed at my wings.

I took a deep breath. "Yes." I stopped for a second, and then started talking faster before he could say anything. "But it's not what you think, I can explain. Well…maybe I can't, but that's why I'm here in the first place. Oh Seth, you have to understand me! You can't tell _anyone, _ANYONE, do you hear me? I ran away from my home in search of answers and to hide from the public and—"

Seth cut me off. "You ran away from _home _because you don't know anything about your…wings?" He was calmer now. At least he hasn't run away screaming…yet.

I sighed in relief, but started explaining again. "Sort of. No one knows about my wings except me…and you too now, I guess. I noticed them this morning after I woke up from a very bad dream. At first I thought I was still dreaming, but I could actually _feel _them. I could _feel _when I picked off a feather, and it actually _hurt._" I realized I was whispering when I paused. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't believe me. It all sounded so strange.

Seth took advantage of my hesitation. "What was your dream about? It might help us discover more about your… dilemma," he encouraged kindly.

I looked up at him. "It was stupid, really. I dreamt that I was in my father's work, except my dad wasn't there. I went wandering throughout the halls so I could find his office and leave a message. I don't remember what I was trying to tell him, only that it was really important. Then, I heard footsteps behind me. I thought it was the night janitor or something until I could see the huge man walking quickly towards me. He looked familiar, but again I couldn't place where I'd seen him before. He called out to me then. 'Sweetie, why'd ya run away all of a sudden? We were just getting to know each other!' he'd said. I was so terrified that I started running. I was thankful that my dad worked in a factory and that there were a lot of small hallways to hide in. After I thought I lost him, I heard his footsteps again and I hid in a janitor's closet. He found me though, and I knew he had me cornered. He grabbed my arm and started talking about how I was 'going to pay for killing his son'. He held up a knife, and then…everything went black." Seth looked absolutely absorbed in my story. "That's when I woke up," I said with a shrug.

Seth pursed his lips in concentration. "That is weird. And you're sure you've never killed anyone?" I could tell he was teasing, but there was still a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"No. Never. It didn't make any sense at all."

He looked relieved. "And then you left? To search for the unknown?"

"Without a word to my dad," I confirmed

He looked amazed now; his eyes lit up as he smiled. "Wow." He shook his head. "I imprinted on a bird-girl," He muttered.

I had no idea what he meant, but I smiled anyway. He picked up and started walking again. "So you want to come to the reservation? It's okay if you don't want to."

I could tell that he really wanted me to come with him, so I decided to follow him anyway. He seemed like a pretty decent guy, and he was also the only lead I had. He smiled when he saw that I'd decided to come along. "I'm pretty sure the guys would understand. You see, I'm special like you, too. "

This surprised me. "You have wings?"

Seth shook his head. "No, but I'm not exactly human, either."

Confused, I lifted an eyebrow. "How so?"

He was enjoying himself now, trying to hold back an amused smile. "I'll show you later." Before I could say anything, he changed the subject. "So what's your name anyway, if you don't mind me asking?"

Oh yeah, he doesn't even know my name. "Oh, it's no problem. My name's Valerie. Valerie Lavelle." I offered my hand to shake, and he took it smiling.

"Pleasure to meet you, Valerie Lavelle." His face lit up into a full on grin. He didn't look the least bit scared now, so that was a good thing. Actually, he looked kind of…happy. I decided that Seth was a very easy person to talk to, almost like a brother or a best friend. He wasn't quite either, because he had a certain gleam in his eyes. I couldn't place what it was, but he looked at me like…I don't even know. Almost like a blind man looking at the sun for the first time. That was the only comparison I could think of.

We weren't hiking through the woods for too long, up ahead I could see a lightening in the musky ferns. I sighed in relief.

"Good, we're almost there. I'm starving!" I joked. Seth chuckled as I smiled lightly. Was it possible that I'd only met this guy ten minutes ago? It seemed like we've known each other forever. He was kind of cute too with his chocolate eyes and shaggy hair…

_Stop it_, I commanded myself. _Stop that right now. You need to get to know him first before you can go off and have a crush on some random guy._

I peeked up again only to notice that he was staring at me. We both looked away awkwardly, and I blushed.

We got to the edge of the forest only to end up on a gravel road. The road appeared endless, as it stretched on and on in one direction until it seemed to end up on the horizon, and the other way curved sharply around a bend. On the other side of the road was another patch of forest almost exactly similar to the one we had just trekked out of.

"So…," I said awkwardly, still a little red in the face. "Where to now?"

Seth started walking to the left, towards the bend in the road. "Just around here is the rez." He saw my exhausted expression and laughed. "Okay, okay. Only a few more minutes, I promise." I sighed dramatically, but followed anyway.

Seth was right; once I peaked around the bend, I could see a huge spread of tiny houses and small shops laid out in front of me. It was so cute, the kind of scene you only see in pictures and movies. The huge pines continued to tower over the town, creating a comforting canopy. The sun peeked behind the clouds now, so the town lit up in colors. The faded reds of the houses, the rich green of the forest and the warm browns of the earth added to the picturesque quality of it all.

"Whoa…" I breathed stupidly.

Seth chuckled again, and spread his arms out wide. "Welcome to La Push, Valerie."

**Hey, thanks to y'all for being so patient. Keep reading! Review!**

**Oh and this chapter had a lot of foreshadowing in it. Did anyone catch it?**

**~~Catty~~**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Observation

La Push was way different from Toronto, let me tell you that. The whole town was arranged in such a way that made it tough to determine if it was fiction, or if it was real. Looking down the small, heavy wooded hill into the main street was like looking straight into a museum diorama. The miniature people and delicate-looking houses were actually real, though, moving around and creating noises. I thought I could hear the soft swoosh of an ocean somewhere nearby.

"Is the ocean far from here?" I asked Seth now, snapping out of my trance.

"Yeah, First Beach is just to the left, down here a little." Seth took a ginormous step forward, his legs were huge, and motioned me to follow him. "But we do have to stop at Billy's house first to talk to him, remember?" He laughed his throaty laugh again.

I cleared my throat. "Oh yeah, that's right." I stepped back and motioned for him to go ahead of me. "You lead the way."

After about fifteen minutes of walking the paved streets of La Push, we neared upon a small wooden shack near the beach. Even though the house was small, it was loaded with character. You could easily tell that this was a well-lived in house, not like my house back home.

I swallowed hard as I struggled to think of something else. Dad was probably freaking out, all over the police and FBI, demanding they send out search parties to look for me…. I would call dad once I knew what was going on with me, I decided. Until then, I'd just have to think as little as possible.

As Seth rang the doorbell, I could hear huge footsteps coming from inside. The door then swung open to reveal another tall, dark, half naked boy. "Seth, dude, what's up?!" The boy said as he stepped out of the door jam to encase Seth in a humongous hug. When he pulled back, he stared at me curiously and said jokingly, "Who's this, Seth? You got a new girl?"

As I turned red, Seth began to explain the whole deal. "No, Jacob, this is Valerie. I met her in the woods not too long ago, and I want to take her to see Billy. Is he home?". Jacob's bushy eyebrows shot up, but nevertheless brought Seth and I into his house.

Inside the shack wasn't much different than the outside. The small kitchen led into the small living room seamlessly, and sitting in a wheelchair, watching the TV was who I assumed was Billy. He smiled when he saw Seth, but as he looked at me, his knitted his eyebrows questioningly. "Hey Seth, who's—"

"This is Valerie; she wanted to see you about something." Seth cut him off before he could finish his question.

"Oh, Okay I guess. Hello Valerie, pleasure to meet you." He smiled warmly, but the confusion never left his age-old eyes.

"Hi." was all I could mutter. After a beat of awkward silence, I cleared my throat and continued on. "I, um, needed to talk to you about something. Or, well, Seth thought that I should come to you about it." Seth nodded as Billy's eyebrows mashed even closer together. I sighed and flexed my wings.

The room was so small that I had to fold my wings out slowly to make certain that I didn't knock anything down. I watched as they passed the chair, the coffee table, past the sofa and I felt the ends of them scrape the opposite walls. I closed my eyes and smiled. Ah, it felt so good to have them open! Like a shower of cold water in the middle of a desert. Or a deep breath.

Now was the hard part. I opened my eyes to see both Jacob and Billy staring wide-eyed at my wings, mouths hanging as wide open as their eyes.

"Seth…where…did…you…find her again?" Jacob said slowly, composing his features only minimally.

I answered before Seth could. "I ran away from home to try and find out what was wrong with me, so I flew all the way here. Seth found me in the woods only an hour ago. He didn't know what to do, so he thought that Billy would have some answers." I sighed and could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I realized just how helpless I was. "Please can you help me? I don't know what to do. I'm homeless, helpless and possibly chanceless, if you can't help me. Please? Can you at least promise me a place to stay?"

Billy thought this over for a minute. "I'm sure you could stay at the Clearwater's for now, but as for helping you, I'll try my best. I have a couple books on mythical legends, but most are Native American. And I don't know if that includes you." He smiled slightly as he looked at my messy blond hair and dirt covered face.

"No, I know what I'll do. I'll call Carlisle; he should know what to do." He wheeled himself across the small living room, and ducked under my wings to get the small kitchen. He picked up the phone and dialed a number quickly. He waited a couple rings until someone picked up.

"Hello? Yes, is Carlisle there? Okay, thank you." He waited another moment as the phone was being handed to Carlisle. "Carlisle? Hi, this is Billy. Yes, I think you should get over here as fast as possible. No, Jacob isn't hurt, Seth just found a new friend." He smiled at me. "Yes, she is in need of a check-up."

**YAY!!! Chapter 6 is in the bag. Ok, I am so sorry that I haven't posted in so long. High school just kinda ate me up, I guess. 0.0 **

**Just hang in there and give me some TLC and R&R. THANK YOU!!!**

**~~Catty~~**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: New Powers

As Billy hung up, I eyed him questionably. "Who's Carlisle?" I had to ask. I didn't want just any person coming to check out my freakish abnormality.

Billy smiled. "Carlisle is a, um, _old_ friend of mine. Don't worry; he's very much used to this kind of situation." He winked.

Okay then…I suddenly remembered my throbbing hunger status as I saw Jacob help himself to something in the fridge. I walked over indifferently to Jacob.

"Hey, um, would you mind if I got something to eat? I haven't really eaten all day…" I said awkwardly. It was still a little weird being in a stranger's house in the middle of this small reservation.

Jacob eyes widened. "Yeah, sure, you don't have to ask. Go for it." He stepped back from the fridge and sat at a tiny table in the corner of the kitchen. I grabbed the makings for a sandwich and sat down by him. In the background I could hear Seth talking quietly to Billy, but I didn't think much about it.

"So, where are you from?" Jacob asked conversationally. I told him my story and all about how I ended up here. He, like Seth, was just as fascinated that I wasn't human. Except Jacob didn't look at me the way Seth looked at me. Hmm…I still couldn't let go of that feeling like there was something more Seth wasn't telling me…

While Jacob talked to me, I let my mind wander like I sometimes did with my dad, issuing a few "mhm's" and "yeah's" here and there as necessary. Not that he was a boring person to talk to, but I had something else on my mind. Some feeling that I couldn't shake off.

I glanced over quickly at Seth, who was looking at me, and looked back to Jacob again. Something was up; Seth was already acting like I belonged to him. Impossible, I thought, it's only because he was the one who found me in the forest.

Wait, how could I even feel this anyway? I mean, I've always been really close to people at home and could sense when they felt sad or whatever, but this is something new. Do I have an…ability? Can I read people's moods? No, it wasn't that…I could read their intentions.

I snapped back to reality just as Jacob was finishing his sentence. I nodded, and to my relief the door bell cut off whatever rebuttal my subconscious was about to make up. I got up out of the chair swiftly and put my dirty plate by the sink as Jacob answered the door.

"Hello Jacob, Billy called—"

"Yeah yeah, right this way." Jacob had cut off whatever the man at the door was saying, very rudely I might add. They must know each other very well.

As Jacob stepped aside, a tall blonde man walked almost too smoothly through the threshold. He stopped just as gracefully as he walked, and a smile sprung across his insanely pale, yet totally gorgeous face. "Hello, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen", he spoke carefully, yet his voice managed to remind me of melting chocolate.

"I'm Valerie." I stammered out. Why did we have a supermodel in the middle of this broken down shack?

"Pleasure to meet you Valerie." He sounded so sincere… "Now Billy, what's wrong with this lovely young lady?" He turned and winked at me. I stopped breathing for a second.

Billy rolled into view. "Why don't you tell him, or show him, yourself, Valerie?"

I gulped. Here goes nothing. Again, I made sure I had enough space and slowly stretched out my wings. I closed my eyes until I had both of them stretched out fully, and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and was immediately surprised at Carlisle's expression. It wasn't scared or horrified like I had imagined any other doctor's face would look like, but more amused and excited, sorta like a little boy on Christmas morning.

Carlisle spoke right away. "Billy! My my, wherever did you find such a wonderful girl?" he chuckled out. He leaned in closer and started to examine my wings then.

"Actually, I didn't do any of the work; Seth discovered her all by himself." He smiled smugly.

Carlisle didn't look up from his examination. "Oh, is that right? Well, I owe him big time. This is incredible!"

Now I started to get scared. Why were they suddenly so eager? "Um, Dr. Cullen? Could you please, please not draw too much attention to me? I just ran away from my dad because of these wings and I don't wanna become the next freak show…"

"Oh no! No, you don't understand, Valerie. I would never expose you to the public like this. I am a certified, respected doctor, and this is only merely for my own good." He stared right into my soul, and I had no choice but to feel totally dependent in this stranger right then and there.

"Okay." I said breathlessly again.

After another five minutes of inspecting every millimeter of my wings, the doctor stood up straight again. "Well, it appears we have an avian hybrid here. I've neither seen it before in my life, nor understand exactly where she comes from." He looked at me with his buttery brown eyes. "Valerie, do you wanna tell us where you come from?"

"I come from my parents. I'm not from a lab or anything strange like that, in case you thought I was hiding something from you. My mom died when I was three, so I don't remember much about her. I was a normal girl, with a normal life a couple days ago, and then just early today I discovered that I have…wings!" I could feel hot tears roll down my face as the awful truth sunk in. "Now I don't know where I belong…I'm a freak! I can never be myself again, and I think something else is wrong with me too. I can sense people's intentions, is what I've figured out." I looked up into four pairs of confused eyes. "It's really hard to explain, but it's like I'm psychic by feeling, not by seeing a vision. And I don't even know if it's real or I'm just imagining it, but it's new and really strong! Please, can you just tell me what's wrong with me?" I was on the verge of a mini tantrum now.

"Valerie." Carlisle gave me that sincere look again. "You are not a freak; you are just a different person than you have known up until now." He spoke slowly and carefully, and then started walking towards the door. There was a heavy rain shower right now, so he pulled on a parka and opened the small front door, letting in the incredible sound of the downpour. "And might I add, you are not alone."

**R&R!!! Wow, I've had a busy summer, but I don't want school to come so soon either. :/ I'll update more frequently from now on though. I promise! Keep reading!**

**~~Cat~~**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

I stared into the ceiling again, trying hard to just close my eyes and let myself fall asleep. Why couldn't I? I mean, I've been awake since like 5-freakin-AM! I guess today was too important to just let slip by. I thought back to when I was at Billy's house in the later part of this tremendous day.

Carlisle seemed like a nice enough man, but I don't think he quite understood why I was how I am. Which is understandable, I don't expect anyone to know, but I still would have liked to have some kind of explanation. But I also think there's something he's hiding from me. He said that I'm not alone as a freak? Does that mean he has wings too? Or is he completely different? And then Seth; he mentioned earlier today that he was different as well, and that he'd explain later. He was obviously thinking that I was going to stay around for a while.

I'm too confused. I don't know about the future. As of now, I don't want to leave, but what if I have to? My dad's going to want to hear from me sooner or later. Which reminded me.

I reached for my phone on the bedside table, now boasting a whopping 76 voice mail messages. I dialed my dad's number with a sigh. Unsurprisingly, he picked up on the first ring. "Valerie?!" he gasped.

"Yes dad it's me. Before you say anything, I'm safe and I have enough money to last for a while." I hope.

"Valerie, do you—I can't even begin to say how worried I am!! Where are you? Why are you gone? Was it something I did?!" My dad's usually chill voice was starting to get higher and higher in pitch.

I sighed again. "I'm in California," I lied "looking at colleges. I thought that now since I'm graduated I might as well open my possibilities. Sorry I left so soon, I had a bad dream about no colleges accepting me, so no, I didn't leave because of something you did. And I had to go alone; I didn't wanna make a big deal out of it." I bit my lip, hoping he would buy my crazy lies. It was partially true though, I did graduate high school last June, but I had absolutely no idea what I want to do with myself. My original plan was a community college, but…

"Valerie, you could at least have warned me!" He said slow and sternly. He sighed. "At least you're doing ok. When do you think you'll be getting back, honey?" I could tell by his tone that he wasn't the least bit satisfied at my decision, but couldn't argue too much because I was an adult now.

"I'm not sure; I might fly out to other parts of the country too. I wanna get some traveling in before summer ends, anyway." I had to make sure he couldn't follow after me, either. "But don't worry about me too much, okay? I'll call you every day, I promise. But I kinda have to go now; I have to wake up early tomorrow morning."

Dad sighed. "Alright, you better call me _every day._ And sorry I blew up at you, but in the future _please_ tell me before you go and fly cross-country."

"Alright daddy, will do. Love you!"

"I love you, come home soon."

I sighed and ended the call. It was so hard to lie to him, but it was strictly necessary in this situation. Well, at least the hard part was over, now I could finally focus on trying to find some real answers. I dared to look at the clock on the quaint side table as I set my phone down. Ugh, almost midnight! Why can't I sleep?!

I looked around the small room that Seth had let me sleep in. It was nice, cute in a way. He said it was his sister's old room, which was obvious by the amount of pictures covering the walls, all signed by Leah Clearwater. She must be an aspiring artist then, because the paintings were fantastic. I could see parts of the woods and rivers splashed out onto the small square of canvas; it was also evident that she took inspiration in her home town.

I sat staring at the beautiful pictures for a while, and then decided that I needed to get up and walk around. Some fresh air will do me wonders, I thought.

I crept out of the room silently, tip-toeing down the stairs. Seth's house was relatively small, but way bigger than Jacob's. It kinda reminded me of my house, especially me sneaking out almost every night. I smiled as I approached the back door to the porch. I quickly slid open the door and snuck out onto the back porch.

It was wonderful out here, even though I couldn't really see anything too clearly. This whole town was so rustic, it had so much character! The frogs in the trees were croaking along to the sound of a bubbling creak somewhere.

My senses had all improved tremendously since this morning. I could hear a pin drop; smell the faintest thing from miles away. I could see in the night now, after my eyes adjusted to the darkness, almost as well as in the daytime. I wasn't sure about my other two senses just yet; I was too hungry to notice if my sense of taste was better, and I haven't really thought about touch either…

I sighed. I had to get used to it, I was a mutant now. I could never be just a normal eighteen year old girl again. I could never be the old Valerie Lavelle that I was known as. Somewhere, deep inside my head I thought to myself, this is a good thing. It's a good thing because I can start over completely new. I can do whatever I want; go where ever I want, hell, I could even change my name!

Maybe it was a coincidence that this strange change happened the summer after I was officially labeled "an adult". Or maybe, just maybe, it happened for a reason. Nah, I'm getting too philosophical now, plus it's insanely late.

I yawned and turned to go back inside when I heard someone whisper my name.

"Valerie!" A voice came from the woods.

I whipped around again and searched for who was talking to me. "Hello?" I said back.

"I'm over here, by the fir tree." I turned to the left. I still couldn't see anyone.

I took a brave step out from the porch and into the lush grass of the Clearwater's yard. I still didn't see anyone, just a couple squirrels here and there.

I took another step and froze in my tracks. Then I saw it. It wasn't human; it was much, much bigger. A gigantic furry outline was standing on the edge of the forest. What is this?! A bear?

I moved back to the house slowly so that hopefully the creature wouldn't see me. "Valerie, where are you going?" The voice said again. That voice was familiar, yet I still couldn't see anyone else in the trees.

"Wait Valerie, I wanted to show you something!" That was Seth's voice! I had to warn him.

"Seth", I whispered, "get out of there. There's a huge bear right by the side of the forest."

I heard Seth sigh as the creature stepped out of the trees and onto the Clearwater's porch. I couldn't believe my eyes! The creature wasn't a bear, or a horse, it was a wolf! A huge wolf, at that. It was a sandy-gray color, with long, shaggy fur. The head of it was at least the size of a car tire, if not bigger. I gaped at the wolf, frozen with fear. It didn't look like it wanted to hurt me…

"Valerie, don't worry, it's only me. This is what I wanted to show you, remember? I promised that I would show you later, so here it is. I'm half human, half wolf. Or, a werewolf and you might call it."

"Seth…?" I whispered again, more calmly this time. There was no way that this beast could be Seth. And how?

Almost like he read my mind, he changed back into a human. Right in front of my eyes.

**Ooooohhhhh….what's this now?! Keep reading and reviewing! And thanks so much for all of you that have read this far in my story, I appreciate it! **

**Love, Cat.**


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